RE-ENGINEERING THE BUREAUCRACY: A CRITIQUE INTRODUCTION : "The role of government should be dynamic, its institutions properly geared to adjust and adapt to the changing social, economic, and political environment. And yet, we find a bureaucracy saddled with missions and functions of a bygone era; an organization that has grown with layer upon layer of structures and tasks that have little relevance to present needs and objectives. Change is in order." These are President Fidel V. Ramos' words in his message to the report on the Re-engineering of the Bureaucracy submitted by the Presidential Committee on Streamlining the Bureaucracy. Indeed, we should ask , what is the role of the government of a nation of 68 Millions of Filipinos, where almost three-fourths (3/4) are wallowing in abject poverty in slum communities and rural areas nationwide. What does the President means by changing social, economic and p olitical environment that his government should adjust and adapt to? Is it the worsening socio-economic and political situation of the country as a result of the intensification of the exploitation of the natural wealth and the people of the world by the imperialist countries? What present needs and objectives are those that the President Ramos refers to aside from the basic requisites of decent human life of which the majority of the Filipinos are being deprived of? Indeed, what is the role of the Ramos government when unemployment is double digits and underemployment is over 30% and when millions are living in shanties, dying without proper health care, dropping out of school due to poverty, leaving the country to work and be abused overseas, are witho ut potable water and enough food, being dislocated in their ancestral lands. Yes, change is in order when this government promotes and implements the Philippines 2000 as a development plan. This allows the further widening of the gap between the majority of Filipinos and the few who rules the country for their foreign masters. Let us briefly check why the prescription of this
administration to re-engineer re-inventing the
bureaucracy thru the so called new paradigm of
governance, is at the least foolish if not completely
deceptive. |
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Position Papers